How to Pick a Charity of the Year: A UK SMB Decision Framework
Practical, UK-specific framework for choosing a Charity of the Year — selection criteria, governance checks, staff voting, and avoiding tick-box partnerships.
The hub · Last updated 10 May 2026
A plain-English guide to workplace giving in the United Kingdom.
Payroll giving, matched giving, employee volunteering, charity-of-the-year programmes, and the practical CSR mechanics that small UK firms actually use. Written for HR and people teams. No jargon, no sales pitch, no email gate.
The six pillars
The whole of workplace giving, organised into six things you can actually do.
Each pillar has its own landing page with cluster articles, a free policy template, and at least one calculator. Start anywhere — the cross-links will take you the rest of the way.
- £01
Payroll Giving
Tax-efficient charity donations straight from staff payslips.
- Best UK Payroll Giving Agencies 2026 — Compared
- How Payroll Giving Works in the UK (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)
- Payroll Giving Policy Template — Free UK Example
- The UK Payroll Giving Quality Mark Explained
7 articles All Payroll Giving → - ×02
Matched Giving
When employers match what staff donate or fundraise.
- Matched Giving Policy Template — 2026 UK SMB Guide
- Matched Giving Ratios and Caps — 2026 UK SMB Guide
- Best Workplace Giving Software UK 2026 — Compared
- Tax Treatment of Matched Giving in the UK — 2026 Guide
5 articles All Matched Giving → - ◐03Editor's pick
Employee Volunteering
Paid time off to volunteer for a cause that matters.
- Paid Volunteer Leave UK — 2026 Practical Guide for Employers
- Skills-Based & Pro Bono Volunteering for UK SMBs — 2026 Guide
- Tracking Volunteer Leave: 2026 Options for UK Employers
- Team Volunteering Days in the UK — 2026 Employer Playbook
5 articles All Employee Volunteering → - ★04
Charity of the Year
How UK firms run a year-long workplace charity partnership.
- How to Pick a Charity of the Year: A UK SMB Decision Framework
- Setting Charity of the Year Fundraising Targets: A UK SMB Guide
- Running a Staff Charity Vote: A Practical UK Employer's Guide
3 articles All Charity of the Year → - ◆05
Fundraising at Work
Bake sales to bike rides — workplace fundraising that works.
- Workplace Raffles and Lotteries: UK Gambling Act 2005 Guide for Employers
- 20 Office Fundraising Ideas That Actually Work in UK Workplaces (2026)
- How to Run a Workplace Charity Quiz That Doesn't Bomb (UK Playbook)
3 articles All Fundraising at Work → - ◇06
CSR & ESG for Small Firms
Practical corporate responsibility for businesses under 250 staff.
- B Corp Certification for UK SMBs: Is It Worth It?
- Answering ESG Procurement Questionnaires: A UK SMB Guide
- The One-Page CSR Statement Template for UK SMBs
3 articles All CSR & ESG for Small Firms →
By the numbers · UK · 2025
£125m
donated via UK Payroll Giving in the tax year ending April 2024, with around 504,000 participating donors (HMRC).
~2days
average paid volunteer leave where offered. Around 30% of UK workers are offered any volunteer days at all.
£6
cost to a 40% taxpayer of giving £10/month via Payroll Giving — relief is automatic through PAYE.
25p
per donor per month is the published Charities Trust admin fee — the lowest of the main UK Payroll Giving Agencies.
Sources: HMRC UK charity tax relief statistics · Royal Voluntary Service / Pro Bono Economics 2025 · Charities Trust published terms
From the editorial desk
This week, in workplace giving.
Setting Charity of the Year Fundraising Targets: A UK SMB Guide
How UK SMBs set realistic Charity of the Year fundraising targets — per-head, percentage of profit, matching pledges, and what to do if you're off track.
Running a Staff Charity Vote: A Practical UK Employer's Guide
How to run a fair internal vote to pick a Charity of the Year — nominations, shortlisting, voting methods, brigading, communication, and edge cases.
B Corp Certification for UK SMBs: Is It Worth It?
What B Corp certification actually involves for a UK SMB — the B Impact Assessment, fees, legal amendments, timeline and how it compares to alternatives.
Free tools · No sign-up · No email gate
Three calculators that do the maths nobody wants to do.
£
Payroll Giving calculator
Show staff what a £25 donation actually costs them at their tax band.
Open calculator → ×Matched giving ROI
Model annual cost of a matched-giving programme by participation rate, cap, and headcount.
Open calculator → ◐Volunteer day cost
What does giving every employee one paid volunteer day really cost? Adjust uptake to find out.
Open calculator → Sponsor — Leavely
Workplace Giving is independent — and underwritten by Leavely.
Leavely is leave management built for UK SMBs. It tracks annual leave, sickness, and — relevant to readers of this site — paid volunteer leave as a distinct leave type, so volunteer hours are auditable for B-Corp, ISO, and tender reporting from day one.
Leavely doesn't write any of the editorial here. They sponsor it because their customers ask them how to start a workplace-giving programme, and we wanted somewhere good to send those people.